The study is devoted to an important aspect of the history of Central Asia – the trade relations between the Turks and the Chinese in the VI–VIII centuries. This period was crucial for the formation of an international exchange system in the region, especially in the context of the interaction of nomadic and settled civilizations. The problem of the role of the Turkic-Chinese borderland as a catalyst for trade and cultural exchange along the Silk Road is an attempt to rethink the mechanisms of interaction, as well as the importance of the main players – Turks and Chinese – in this process. Trade along the frontier zone was not just a local phenomenon, but part of a global exchange system. Chinese sources, the chronicles of the Sui and Tang dynasties, contain valuable information about the trade in silk, horses and other goods. The work uses frontier theory, a concept that studies border zones (frontiers) as special territories where different cultures, economies, and political systems interact. Silk, as China's main export, played a key role in maintaining the economic balance between nomadic and settled peoples. The mention of Sogdians as intermediaries in the silk trade highlights their important role in the dissemination of goods and cultural influences. The Sogdians were not only merchants, but also cultural agents who facilitated interaction between East and West. Their activities contributed to the integration of Central Asia into the broader Silk Road network. The thesis of the symbiosis of China and the nomadic steppe through trade is the key to this study. China needed horses for the army and transport, and the nomads needed silk and other goods, which were used as a means of accumulating wealth and prestige. This mutually beneficial exchange contributed to the stabilization of relations between the two civilizations. The Turkic-Chinese trade relations became the center of economic and cultural activity, which contributed to the development of international relations. Trade between them stimulated not only economic growth, but also political and cultural exchange, including the spread of technology, religions, and ideas.
Rustam Talgatovich Ganiev (Thu,) studied this question.